ELEMENTS OF SPEECH: AN ESSAY of INQUIRY INTO The Natural Production OF LETTERS: WITH An APPENDIX Concerning Persons Deaf & Dumb BY WILLIAM HOLDER D. D. Fellow of the R. Society. LONDON, Printed by T. N. for J. Martin Printer to the R. Society, at the Bell without Temple-Barr 1669. March 4. 1668/9. At a meeting of the Council of the R. Society. Ordered, THat a Discourse presented to the R. Society, Entitled, Elements of Speech; or, An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural Production of Letters, with an Appendix concerning Persons Deaf and Dumb, be Printed by John Martin, Printer to the said Society. BROUNCKER Pres. THE PREFACE. IT hath been to me a matter of Wonder, that in the Alphabets of all Languages whereof I have any knowledge; there is not to be found either Order or Perfection. The Characters (or written Letters) neither being adjusted to the sounds of Letters pronounced; nor disposed in the Alphabet according to any rational or Natural Order. The Consequences whereof have been, to tender Languages more difficult to be learned, and needlessly to advance Orthography into a troublesome and laborious Art; and to hid the Nature of Letters in obscurity, so as not to be found without much searching; nor perhaps to be sufficiently searched, by such as are moved to it only by Philosophical Curiosity, and are not by any necessity engaged to a pertinacious diligence. Though in this kind it must be acknowledged, that some excellent Persons amongst us, who are above my Approbation or Elegy, have considered this Subject with great Care and Felicity. And it having happened to me some years past, to have been deeply engaged in this same consideration of the Alphabet, by a Worthy Design of giving Relief to a Deaf and Dumb Person, in the year 1659. recommended to my Care: and being at last prevailed with by divers Persons, who remember the success of that Enterprise, to Communicate the way and method I than used; I have adventured to publish my thoughts concerning the Nature of Letters; more in respect of the Appendix, or Application of them to that excellent purpose, than that I esteem them worthy to trouble the World, or able to produce any considerable addition to the discourses of this Subject already extant: only in regard of the obscurity and subtlety of the difference of Letters, by reason of which, several Persons are apt to make different guesses and observations, and to be often unfixed, and change their thoughts upon better Consideration, as I have experienced, and believe the same must have happened to others; it were to be wished, that all who have considered this Subject would Communicate their thoughts and ways of finding out those differences, which being done, every Hypothesis would contribute some Light, as I hope this of mine may do; wherein I have endeavoured to abstract myself from prepossession of Fancy, either by the Ideas of faulty Alphabets, or the Notions of other Authors. And here I must entreat the Reader to do the like for me; and withal, to read the Treatise of Letters once over, without staying to dispute or examine particulars, which he will often found more plainly expressed afterwards; and than, if he shall think it worth his trouble, to go over it again, and at his pleasure, stay to make trials and examinations. The Obscurity of the Subject, and the Prejudice and Prepossession of most Readers, may pled excuse for any Ampliations or Repetitions that may be found, whilst I labour to express myself so plain and full, that the Nature of Speech and Letters, so far as these present thoughts of mine reach to it, may be understood by all. ERRATA. PAge 3, line 10. tion. l. 12. either, both to. p. 10. l. 2. designed to be. p. 11. l. 9 have their. p. 12. l. 18. bets of. p. 17. l. 7. the most apt. p, 19, l. 11. and. p. 29. l. 1 which is. l. 4. of one Organ. p. 30. l. 1. of Motion. p. 34. l. 9 Spirital, Orevocal. p. 41. l 10. ed Original Letters. p. 42. l. 9 than the same. p. 49. l. 13. and Myleogloss. p. 53. l. 12. Ng Naso-Vocal. [Obs. there was intended a Character for Ng, viz. n with a tail like that of g. which must be understood where the Printer has imitated it by n or y.] p. 63. l. 20. Characters. p. 73. l. 7. Larynx, cannot. p. 74. l. 15. improperly. p. 81. l. 5. [Obs. the short Vowels should have been ranked thus; Folly under oh, Fat under a, Cell under e, Ill under i, Full under oo, the other spaces left blank] p. 81. l. penult. Whispering, be. p. 93. l. 8. their subtle and. p. 97. l. 12. 36 Vowels. p. 101. l. 19 Letter. the. p. 104. l. 7. of the same. p. 107. l. 16. as they speak. p. 110. l. 7. to that. p. 123. l. 21. nearer. p. 129. l. 7. these Persons. p. 130. l. 17. respectively Letter spoken or written; p. 135. l. 19 out by being. p. 136. l. 1. Lips. Make him. p. 144. l. 7. show him a. p. 152. l. 21. Portraitures. p. 154. l. 15. ckt. p, 157. l. 19 (not to be thought on otherwise.) ELEMENTS OF SPEECH: An Essay of Enquiry into the Natural Production of Letters. OF the Five Senses, Two are usually, and most properly called the Senses of Learning, as being most capable of receiving communication of Thoughts and Notions by selected Signs; And these are Hearing and Seeing. The Object of Hearing is Sound, whose variety is so great, and conveyance so easy, that it brings in admirable store of intelligence and information to the common sense. And like to it in the same respects is the Object of Seeing. Either of these learned Senses have their peculiar Privileges: whereas Seeing requires Light, and a free Medium, and a right Line to the objects; we can hear in the dark, Immured, and by curve Lines, that is, Sound can pass to the Ears, where visual Rays cannot to the Eye. But than, Sight takes in at a greater distance, and more variety at once, comprehending also Quiescent objects, which Hearing does not: and especially enjoying the delightful variety of forms, and figures, which come not to the Hearing. As to the present purpose, both these Senses embrace their Objects at greater distance, with more variety, and with a more curious discrimination, than the other Senses, so that they are most fitted to receive and distinguish Signs for Communication, and by their proper advantages mutually supplying the defects of either. And both together serve completely for the Reception and Communication of Learned Knowledge. Now Signs for Communication may be contrived at pleasure from any variety of Objects (especially of one kind) appertaining to either Sense. For example, Four Bells admit Twenty four changes in Ringing, and Five Bells One hundred and twenty: each change may, by agreement and consent, have a certain signification imposed upon it, and so Communication may be performed at a distance by Hearing. And for the Sight, Four or Five Torches held up at a Distance in the Night, 1 or 2, or 3, or 4, and any, or more of them elevated, or depressed out of their Order, either in Breadth, or Long-ways, may by agreement give great variety of Notifications. And thus, Thousands of Signs may be invented and agreed upon, and learned, and practised. Thus the Drum and Trumpet by their several Sounds, serve for many kinds of Advertisements in Military affairs: and Bells serve to proclaim a scare-fire, and (in some places) Water-Breaches; The departure of a Man, Woman, or Child; time of Divine Service; The hour of the day; day of the Month, etc. Common life is full of this kind of significant Expressions, by Knocking, Beckoning, Frowning, Pointing and the like; and Dumb persons are sagacious in the use of them. And even Brute Animals make use of this artificial way of making divers motions to have several significations, to Call, Warne, Chide, Cherish, Threaten, etc. especially within their own kinds. But of all other, there is none for this use comparable to the variety of instructive Expressions by Speech, wherewith Man alone is endowed, as with an Instrument suitable to the Excellency of his Soul, for the most easy, speedy, certain, full communication of the Infinite variety of his Thoughts, by the ready Commerce between the Tongue and the Ear. And if some Animals, as Parrots, Magpies, etc. may seem to be capable of the same discriminations, yet we see, that their souls are too narrow to use so great an Engine. The chief, I say, of all signs, and which the Almighty's Providence, in the Creation of Man, endued him withal, and destined to that use, is Human voice and the several modifications thereof by the Organs of Speech, viz. the Letters of the Alphabet, form by the several Motions of the Mouth; and the great variety of Syllables composed of Letters, and formed with almost equal velocity; and the endless number of words capable of being framed out of the Alphabet, either of more syllables, or of one; or sometimes of a single Letter, according as, by consent and institution, they are ordered to signify the several parts of Speech or Language. And (which answers to the same end) the Characters or Symbols of these Letters expressed by Writing, or Printing, or Graving, etc. so as to remain visible, and discernible by the Eye; viz. to each Letter a proper Character designed to signify the Power or Sound of the Letter, that when I see Letters joined, I understand the sound, and am ready to pronounce it. And this is Language in Counterfeit. Whereas Language, originally and properly (as the Word imports) is that of the Tongue, directed to the Ear by Speaking. Written Language is tralatitiously so called, because it is made to represent to the Eye the same Letters and Words, which are pronounced. And by these the Tongue and Pen do mutually correspond, and assist one another, Writing what we speak, and Speaking what we writ. And (as was said of the Senses, to which they serve) they supply the defects of each other by the peculiar privileges of either. Swift, and ready, and familiar Communication is made by Speech, and when animated by Elocution, it acquires a greater life, and energy, ravishing and captivating the Hearers. But than, Speech is confined to the Living, and imparted to only those, that are in presence, and is transient and gone. Written Language, as it is more Operous, so it is more digested, and is permanent, and it reacheth the absent, and posterity, and by it we speak after we are dead. Now, as I said, the Original of these Signs for Communication is found in Viva voce, in spoken Language, and therefore 'tis Speech we now chief consider, I mean the Principles thereof, which are Letters. Now these Letters considered, as to their Genesis, i e. as they are made and framed by several Motions of the parts of the Mouth, are the natural Elements of Speech, but the use of them is Artificial, viz. when they are composed, and designed by several Signs of Respective Notions: And hence Languages arise, when by institution and agreement, such a composure of Letters, i e. such a Word is intended to signify such a certain thing. And the Learning of a Language is (or at lest needs be) nothing else, but the informing ourselves, and remembering what Composures of Letters are, by consent and Institution, to signify such certain Notions of things, with their Modalities and Accidents: I say, the Motions of the Mouth (speaking largely) by which the voice is discriminated, and the Sound thereof in distinct forms received by the Ear, according to the number of their variety, are the Natural Elements of Speech; and the Application of them in their several compositions, or Words made of them, to signify things or the Modalities of things, and so serve for communication of Notions, is Artificial. And the former of these, the Letters, as they have the natural Production by the several checks or stops, or (as they are usually called) Articulations of the Breath or Voice in their passage from the Larynx through the Mouth or Nose, made by the instruments of Speech, are the subject of this present Essay. Worthy indeed of better consideration, as being the first Elements of all Human Learning, (to say nothing of the Propagation and Conservation thereof;) and by which having once surveyed the true and proper natural Alphabet, we may easily discover the Deviations from it in the Characters thereof, in all the Alphabets in use: Either by Defect of single Characters of Letters; or by Confusion of them; or by expressing the Power of single Letters by unapt Compositions; or by an absurd reception of double Letters, into the number of the Elements, which aught to be only single and original; or lastly by the incongruous pronunciations of several Letters, as they lie described to the Eye by Symbols or Characters of the Alphabet of several Languages, which indeed aught to be only one, or at lest all to be perfectly correspondent each to other, according to their Origine in nature, though expressed by several Characters, after the humour and fancy of several Nations. Though it were much to be wished, that, as there is but one single way (whereof we are now treating) of the natural production of Letters, whereby to convey our thoughts by the sound of Speech to the Ears of them that hear us; so there were throughout the world but one sort of Character for each Letter, to express it to the Eye, and that exactly proportioned to the Natural Alphabet form in the Mouth. This, though diversity of Languages continued, yet would tender them much more easy to be learned, as to reading and pronouncing of them, and especially as to the Writing of them, which now, as they stand, we found to be troublesome and difficult, and it is no small part of Grammar, which treats of Orthography and right pronunciation. And truly the Disorder, into which the Alphabet is put, by the several ways , seems to me of the same kind, though not so great, as if several Nations, using the same Characters, should apply them differently, and that Sound, which one describes by B, another should do the same by C. etc. which by private consent hath been sometimes used in dangerous times, only to obscure their writing, and make it hard to be read by others not acquainted with the intrigue, but is quite contrary to any intention of advancing the facility of Learning. But the chief design here intended by this account of the Natural Alphabet, is, to prepare a more easy and expedite way to instruct such as are Deaf and Dumb, and Dumb only by consequence of their want of Hearing, (by showing them the proper figures of the motions of the Organs, whereby Letters are framed) to be able to pronounce all Letters, and Syllables, and Words, and in a good measure to discern them by the Eye, when pronounced by another. And although this cannot be directly and immediately taught, and learned, as to every particular Letter of the Alphabet (as will be sufficiently manifest in the ensueing discourse) yet He, who has this exact knowledge of the Nature and Difference of Letters, by knowing withal, what can be readily done, and what cannot be immediately performed; will be able to pursue such an attempt with steadiness; and having made his first progress in what is obvious and fesible; will than (without expense of fruitless labour) proceed to seek out and invent other ways to compass about and accomplish his designed effect. And by these ways (as I myself have made some experiment) it is not impossible, not nor very difficult to be done, even in those who were born Deaf and Dumb. By what has been premised, we may define Language (if we consider it more materially) to be An apt Connexion of Letters, forming and producing Words and Sentences. But if we consider it more according to the Reason and Design thereof, than Language is the most excellent Instrument for Communication. Or, a connexion of the apt signs for Communication of our Thoughts and Notions. And Speaking is nothing else, than A sensible Expression and Communication of the Notions of the Mind by several Discriminations of utterance of voice, used as Signs i e. having, by Consent, several determinate significancies. The Matter or Store, out of which these signs are framed, is the Alphabet, that is, the variety of single different Letters, which Letters arise from the first original discriminations of voice, by way of Articulation, whereby the Ear is able to judge and observe the differences of vocal Sounds. And as many such different sounds as can be made by single Articulations, so many Letters there are in the store-house of Nature, out of which to frame Signs for Communication by way of Speech or Language. I said, Articulation, because there may be other ways of discriminating the voice, E. G. by Acuteness and Gravity, the several degrees of rising and falling from one Tone or Note to another; and the several Kind's of Measures, Passions, Moods, Air, etc. out of which it were easy to frame a kind of Language, without Words, though not so Expedite nor Comprehensive as the other. Now to describe accurately the differences, by which the Formal Reason of every letter is constituted, however it seem at the first apprehension familiar and easy, and no one but can say something towards it; yet upon better consideration will be found very difficult: Because the Motions and Figures within the mouth are abstruse, and not easy to be distinguished, especially those of the Tongue, and several parts of it, which is moved, through the help of many Muscles, so easily, and Habitually, and variously, that we are scarce able to give a judgement and description of divers Motions and Figures thereby framed in the Mouth: And also because most are apt to seek all the Differences of Letters in those Articulating Motions, whereas several Combinations of Letters are framed by the very same Motions of those Organs, which are commonly observed, and are differenced (as shall be shown) by other concurrent causes. And lastly, by reason of the Prepossession of the Judgement of most men from their Infant-breeding, of which I have met with much Experience; and it may be seen in the writings of some Learned men, who coming to treat of the Nature of Letters, speak of them by Tradition, as of some remote exotic thing, whereof we had no knowledge, but by uncertain fabulous relations. And although I have been told of some more accurate Authors, who take not the vulgar Alphabets and Rudiments of Grammar for their Canon; yet I have refrained to look into them, for fear of being led away by other man's fancies; whereas I rather chose to consult Nature at Hand. And herein I cannot hope to have escaped all prejudicies' of fancy, but do willingly submit those mistakes, into which I may have fallen, to the better consideration of others, who shall have made research into this business with more felicity. And certainly the free thoughts of many separate persons using diligence herein, compared together, select choice being made of the most happy adventures in each of their several Hypotheses, is the surest way to advance this kind of Essay to a good perfection. To which, if any thing be contributed by this that I have done, I shall not wholly have miss my end. Of Letters the Material part is Breath and Voice; the Formal part is constituted by the Motions and Figures of the Organs of Speech, affecting the Breath or Voice with a peculiar sound, by which each Letter is discriminated. For either of these there are proper Organs. For the Former, the Lungs, Aspera Arteria, Larynx, Wula, Nose, and the whole Arch of the Palate or Roof of the Mouth. The Lungs are as Bellowss, which supply a force of Breath: the Asphera Arteria is as the nose of Bellowss, or as a channel in the sound Board of an Organ, to collect and convey the Breath, and somewhat more, by a power of contracting and dilating itself, which those have not. The Larynx both gives passage to the Breath, and also, as often as we please, by the force of Muscles, to bear the sides of the Larynx stiff and near together, as the Breath passeth through the Rimula, makes a vibration of those Cartilaginous Bodies which forms that Breath, into a Vocal sound or Voice, which by the Palate, as a Chelis or shell of a Lute, is sweetened and augmented. The Wula, as a Valve, opens and shuts the passage of Breath or Voice through the Nose. The Nose, sometimes giving passage to Breath or Voice, in speaking altars their sound, and gives a Material discrimination, by which the general sound of Breath or Voice may be distinguished into Oral, or Nasall, or, (to speak more accurately) Ore-Nasal. And thus also the Whole mouth, as it gives passage to Breath and Voice, and a distinct sound, from that of the Nose, aught to be accounted one of the Organs of the Material part of Letters. By the way observe, that Letters may be framed by Articulation of only Breath, for secret communication near at hand, as in whispering. But the most useful way of easy and free communication, being by the Voice, and the Motions being the same in whispering and in speaking, it is intended here, to consider vocal Speech alone, as that to which this Discourse refers. Though it be true (and aught to be well heeded) that divers letters have no Vocal sound, if pronounced alone, but do immediately affect the vocal sound of other Letters, to which they are joined in Speech, by affecting first the Breath in their own proper Motions and Figures, such are F. S, and some others. The Organs of the Later, the Formal part of Letters, are the Tongue, Palate, Goums, Jaw, Teeth, Lips. Of which the Tongue and under-Lip, and nether-jaw are movable. The rest are , viz. as to their use in speech. Articulations are made by the Motions of the movable Organs to, or towards the . As, the Tongue, (which is the chief instrument of Speech) is every way moved in its parts to and from all parts of the Palate, and Goums, and upper Teeth, except the very cavity or Arch of the Palate, which is always kept open to help the sound. The under lip is moved to the upper lip, or upper Teeth. And these motions are attended by the motions of the nether-jaw. Of Letters The Material Cause is Breath and Voice whole Organs are the Oral. Nasal. Lungs. Aspera Arteria. Larynx. Palat's Arch, or Roof. Uuula. Nose. Whole mouth. The Formal Cause is Atticulation of Breath and Voice whose Organs are Movable. Tongue. Under Lip. Neither Jaw. . Palat. Goums. Upper-Lip. Upper Teeth, In the framing of every Letter, there is an Articulation (though not to every Letter a several Articulation; for sometimes two or three have the same, and are differenced only by their material causes.) By Articulation I mean a peculiar Motion and Figure of some parts belonging to the Mouth between the Throat and Lips, whereof some are more easy to be discerned and described; as those made with the Lips, P. B. M: with the Lip and Teeth, F. V: with the Tongue and Teeth, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. th'. dh. and those with the Tongue and Goums, and Tongue and Palate, which are close stopped, as T. D. N; KG. NG. The rest are more difficult, and most of all the Vowels, where there are peculiar Figures of the Cavity of the Mouth, between the Tongue and the Arch of the Palate, whilst the Tongue moves into a Posture required to each Vowel, which is made without the Lips. That I may be the easier understood, I do comply with the Ancients, in distinguishing Letters into Vowels and Consonants; yet not wholly upon their reason, viz. That a Vowel may be sounded alone, a Consonant not without a Vowel; which if examined will not be found all true, for many of the Consonants may be sounded alone, and some joined together, without a Vowel, as Bl, St; and as we pronounce the later Syllable of People, Rifle, etc. though it be true of some Consonants, as the Mutes, P. T. K. that they can make no sound alone: But from another difference, which is, That in all Vowels the passage of the mouth is open and free, without any appulse of an Organ of Speech to another: But in all Consonants, there is an Appulse of the Organs, sometimes (if you abstract the Consonants from the Vowels) wholly precluding all sound; and in all of them, more or lesle, checking and abating it. Now from hence ariseth the facility of joining a Consonant to a Vowel, because from an Appulse to no Appulse (or an Apperture) is easier, (because the Motion is not half so much,) than from one Appulse to another. And we found in the Motions from one Appulse to another, in joining of Consonants, some (according to their easier aptness of Notion, or nearness of Nature or situation) to be readier and easier joined in one syllable, than others: Which made that observation of the Grammarians, of the easy pronunciation of a Mute before a Liquid, which do not therefore necessarily make the Preceding Vowel, by position, long in Quantity, as Patrem. The Distinction of Articulation of Breath and the Articulation of Voice must be well heeded, because in it consists the only difference of many Letters, as shall be shown. For it is one thing, to Breath, or give an Impulse to breath alone; another thing, to vocalize that breath, i e. in its passage through the Larynx to give it the sound of Human Voice. As through a Horn or Cornet, or Trumpet, you may, if you please, emit only Breath without any other sound than of wind; or you may with the same Breath, regularly blown, raise the proper voice or sound of those Instruments. Breath than must be understood distinctly from Breath vocalized, or Human voice, and either of them in their distinct Being's and Sounds may be, and are Articulated by the Motions of the Organs. Now, though several single Letters nakedly considered, are found to be Articulations only of Spirit or Breath, and not of Breath vocalized (as appears if you pronounce S. F. etc. abstracted from all vowels) yet there is that property in all Letters, of Aptness to be conjoined in Syllables and Words, through the voluble motions of the Organs from one stop or figure to another, that they modify and discriminate the Voice without appearing to discontinue it. And so Letters may well enough be termed Articulations of Voice in respect of Speech, which yet in their own simple abstracted Nature are but Articulations of Breath. To come now nearer to our Inquiry into the Production of Letters, we are first to investigate the variety of Motions, and Figures, made by the Organs, which serve for Articulation. And than the Variety of Matter, to which those Articulations are severally applied. For it will be found, that the same Articulation makes Impressions of different sounds, or (which is the same) Letters, according as the subject matter, which is to be Articulated, is different: as one and the same Seal, imprinted upon several pieces of wax of different colours, as Yellow, Read, Green, Black, will make so many distinct signs (if significations be imposed upon them) to the Eye, as there are different Colours in the Matter, or Wax, which receive the same Impression. Thus the same Articulation; if of Breath, makes one letter; if of Breath vocalized, or voice, another; If of voice Nasall (i.e. when the Wula is opened, and the voice passeth into the Mouth, and is there Articulated, and at the same time hath a free passage through the Nose) than it makes another; and lastly, if of Breath Nasal, than another. Thus the Matter of Sound, which is to be discriminated by Articulation, if it be of four kinds, Spirital, Vocal, Naso-spirital, Naso-vocal, (it is for shortness-sake, that I do not style them more accurately, viz. Ore-Spirital, Ore-Nasal, Ore-Naso-Spirital, Ore-Naso-Vocal;) than every Articulation may produce four Letters. But the design of Speaking, being to Communicate our Thoughts, by ready, easy, and graceful Pronunci-ation, all kind of Letters have been searched out, that were serviceable for the purpose, as Commodious Elements of Speech, and such discriminations as were not so, whereof many may be found, (all Articulations not suiting with all matter) they were left out and laid aside. All Articulation is made within the mouth, from the Throat to the Lips inclusively, and is differenced partly by the Organs and several parts of Organs (already described) used in it; and partly by the manner and degree of Articulating: which later is, either by Appulse, i e. when one of the movable Organs toucheth, and rests upon some of those, that are ; Or else only by inclination of the movable Organ to the , without Appulse, the passage through the mouth remaining free and open. If there be no Appulse of one Organ to another, the Letters by other several postures and inclinations of the Organs are vowels. But when there is an Appulse of one Organ to another, the Letters, which are so framed, are Consonants. Again, the Appulse is either plenary and occluse, so as wholly to preclude all passage of Breath or Voice through the mouth; or else partial and pervious, so as to give them some passage out of the mouth: and this later affects the Sound divers ways, giving it a Lisping, or Hissing, or else emitting it smooth, or else jarring. The nature of Consonants being framed by Appulse, is (as was said before) much easier to be discerned, than that of the Vowels. I shall therefore endeavour, first to describe their differences, and how they are framed; taking the number of Consonants, not from the Grammatical Alphabets of any Language, but from the diversity of Sounds framed by single Articulations with Appulse, which I found in any usage; especially in our, and neighbouring Nations, such as are most needful for any among us, that are Deaf and Dumb, to learn. And thus they ordinarily amount to 19 besides 2 or 3 more (to be spoken of in their place) which will be found among the Vowels: omitting some other uneasy Letters, which I shall after describe, and possibly may be in use with some Nations. If a close Appulse be made by the Lips, viz. by the Under-Lip, to the Upper-Lip, than is framed P, or B, or M; if it be made by the end of the Tongue to the Goums, T. or. D. or N. If by the Boss of the Tongue to the Palate, near the Throat, than K. or G. or N ĝ. so there are 9 Consonants made by close Appulse, and they evidently answer one another in their Properties; whether you compare them in respect of the Organs, the 3 Labial B. P. M. are Parallel to the 3 Gingival T. D. N, and to the 3 Palatick K. G. N ĝ; or whether in respect of Sound; P. T. K. are Articulations of Breath; B. D. G. (if you compare B to P; D to T; and G to K;) are made with the very same Appulse and Motion of the Organ; and are differenced only by being Articulations of Voice, or Breath vocalized: which is easily discerned, if you strive to pronounce P. abstracted without a Vowel, than it will be wholly Mute, because it is nothing but Breath stopped: but if you in the same manner go to pronounce B, there will be a murmuring sound of the Voice, form in the Larynx, and passing till it be stopped by the Appulse of the Lips. And so of the rest. M. is an Articulation of voice, by close Appulse of the Lips; so far perfectly the same with B: but there is this difference added, that at the same time, passage is opened for the Voice through the Nose. And the like is N. in the Goums, and N ĝ in the Palat. Thus in respect of Appulse of Organ P. B. M. are the same; and T. D. N. and K. G. N ĝ. In respect of matter of sound P. T. K. do perfectly agreed, and likewise B. D. G. and M. N. Ng'. And in respect of the manner, viz. Closeness of the Appulse, they all agreed. And these 3 properties sufficiently discover the Nature of these 9 Consonants, and therewithal, how properly N ĝ is ranged amongst Original letters. See in a Scheme. Mute Murmurmute Naso-vocal. Letters framed by Appulse. Occluse, Labial P B M Gingival. T D N Pervious. Palatick K G N ĝ The other sort of Appulse is partial and pervious, giving some passage to Breath and Voice: of which kind, Two are made to the upper Teeth, and 'cause a Lisping sound, the Breath being strained through the Teeth. One whereof is of the under Lip to the upper Teeth, which, if Breath only pass, makes F. but if the Breath be vocalized, the same Appulse makes V Another is of the Tongue to the upper Teeth, and in like manner with the former, makes Th', and Dh. or θ. ϑ, which so justly correspond with F. and V and are made by single proper motions of the Organ, that they must needs be acknowledged Letters, and not to be compounded of T and H, or D and H, but require to be described by single proper Characters, as well as other Letters. I would describe them by θ and ϑ. And thus far the nature of these 13 Consonants lies fair to be perceived, because the Appulse is so manifest, being either close, as in the former 9; or Bold and forward to the Teeth, as the other 4. Next, there is a Partial Pervious Appulse of the End of the Tongue to the Goums, giving the Breath a straight pasiage there, by which a hissing sound is made; the sides of the Tongue at the same time resting firmly on the side-teeths. And by this, if Breath alone pass, is made the Letter S; but if Breath vocalized, than the posture and motion makes Z. Again, the end of the Tongue born more downwards, and the middle of it born up nearer the Palate, the sides resting on the Teeth, makes, if the Breath pass, Sh, or, if Breath vocalized, Zh. which is properly that, which is designed by I consonant, as Foreigners pronounce it. The Figures in the mouth of Zh. and the vowel I, are much alike, which might give occasion of supplying Zh. by the character of I Consonant: And the vowel I, partaking also of the nature of a Consonant, added to Z, comes very near to the sound of Zh, as Zya; but this hath something more of Gingival Figure in it. Thus we have 17 Consonants, which bear a certain Analogy; out of which, if you take M. N. Ng, there remain seven pairs, of which each Letter hath the very same motion and Appulse of the Organs, with his compeer, and differ only in relation to sound, one being an Articulation of Breath, the other of Voice, and they stand thus And these p t k f th' s should b d g v dh z zh in Whispering, cannot be distinguished, except by prejudice of Fancy; but every pair will be the same without any difference, and consequently but one Letter. So that the Language of Whispering is performed with 7 Consonants lesser, than the Language of Speaking. And I might digress to tell, how some of the Ancients may be thought sometime to have used a lesle number of Letters in their Languages; as may be proved by the celebration of those, who added to their Alphabet, by inventing or bringing other Letters, than they used. And for the other 3 Letters M. N. Ng. though they make not such pairs as the other 14, yet they are within the observation of not differing by Motion or Posture from the other close Letters of the same Organs, but only by Sound; the Voice passing through the Nose, as hath been said. And it were easy to add a Nasal Letter to each of the other pair of Lisping and Sibilant Letters, but they are found not to be so gracefully pronounced, nor sufficiently discriminated in Pervious Appulses, where the Breath hath passage through the Mouth and Nose both at once; but only in the Appulses, which are Occluse; where the voice is stopped, and only murmurs within the Mouth, and passeth freely by the Nose. And this is the reason, there are but 3 Nasal Letters commonly in use, because there are but 3 occluse Appulses. And here it is remarkable, that in the framing of these 17 Consonants, there are but 7 different Motions or Postures of the Organs; and consequently but 7 Discriminations arising from thence, which are between the 7 pairs before spoken of, each pair from the other, in such order as they are there set down. I shall add one Remark more concerning these Consonants, That, whereas I have sometimes in discourse, put many several persons to consider what the difference might be in any Pair of them, as between P, and B; T, and D, etc. And upon trial they have been ready to fancy, (and I have met with it in the Writings of some) that the difference lies in the manner of Appulse, one being made by a Fuller or Ranker Appulse than the other, or, some such thing, which they thought they perceived, but could not well express. The Truth is, There may be some such little difference, but from another cause consequential to that which is already assigned, which is this: All Tuneable Sounds, whereof Human voice is one, are made by a regular vibration of the sonorous body, and Undulation of the Air, proportionable to the Acuteness or Gravity of the Tone. Now Breath flowing in a smooth stream from the Lungs through the Mouth; and Voice from the Larynx in a curled vibrated Figure, it may very well be, that Breath vocalized, i e. vibrated or undulated, may in a different manner affect the Lips, or Tongue, or Palate (while they stop or check it) and impress a swift tremulous motion, which Breath alone passing smooth, does not. And so we may feel within our Mouth, some difference between P and B. which yet is not sufficient to distinguish them to the Ear of another person; nor of itself to constitute them distinct Letters of the Alphabet; but they are distinguished by the Sound made by that Vibration. There remain two odd Consonants, which have no fellows, nor stand in pairs, and those are L and R; both of them Gingival in respect of the Appulse of the Organs. L is made by the same Appulse of the end of the Tongue to the Goums, as are T and D; but than the Sides or edges of the Tongue are drawn in, and leave smooth and free lateral passage for the voice, i e. by the sides of the mouth, or one of them at lest. You may easily perceive it, if you pronounce L. after, or before T. Lt. Tl. where you keep the end of the Tongue still in the very same posture in both Letters, and only move the sides of it. R is made by a Pervious Appulse of the end of the Tongue, with its edge to the Goums, the Tongue being held in that posture, only by the force of the Geneoglosse, or Myleoglosse Muscles, and not resting any any where upon the Teeth; except only touching them loosely, so as to close the passage of Breath every where by the sides, and conduct it to the end of the Tongue, And this with a strong Impulse of Breath vocalized, so as to 'cause a trembling and vibration of the whole Tongue; which vibration being slow, does not tune the voice, but make it jar; the Tongue not resting, but making a light Appulse in parts of the end of it, and being born stiffly, as with a Spring, by the Muscles, (especially by the Geneoglosse) and agitated by strong impulse of Breath. And it is observable, that in all the other Consonants, the Movable Organ rests and bears somewhat strongly upon the ; as is evident in all the 9 Letters made by close Appulse, and in the Four Dental Letters, and in L, and lastly in the Four Sibilants; some of which last being of nearest Appulse to R, will show this better by being compared together; e. g. Z. and R. In Z. the Tongue bears firm upon the upper side-teeths, and so the end of it being a little flatted, is born steadily near the Goums, making a Rimula, by which the hissing sound is produced, the steadiness of the posture of the Tongue resisting that tremulous vibration, which it suffers in pronouncing R. But in R. the Tongue does not rest or bear as aforesaid, but is held stiffly in its whole length by the force of the Muscles, so as when the impulse of Breath strikes upon the end of the Tongue, where it finds passage, it shakes and agitates the whole Tongue, whereby the sound is affected with a trembling jar. And this is the cause, why they, whose Muscles are weak or flaccid, are unapt to pronounce this Letter R. Now, as before I gave a Scheme of the Occluse Consonants with their differences, so I shall here add one of those, which are Pervious, and than all together. Blaese. Murmur Blaese Sibilant Murmur Semi-vocal Semi-vocal Letters framed by Appulse Pervious. Labiodental F. V Sibi Smcoth jart Letters framed by Appulse Pervious. Lingua-dental Th' Dh lant Or free ing Letters framed by Appulse Pervious. Gingival S Z L R Letters framed by Appulse Pervious. Palatic. should Zh APPULSE SOUND ORGAN Or thus more properly by Sound or MATTER. Close P. Mute Labial p. Spirital. Close B. Murmure-mute Labial b. Vocator Murmurant Close M. Naso-vocal Labial m. Naso-vocal. Close T. Mute Gingival t. Spirital. Close D. Murm-mute Gingival d. Vocal. Close N. Naso-vocal Gingival n. Naso-vocal. Close K. Mute Palatic k. Spirital. Close G. Murm-mute Palatic g. Vocal. Close N ĝ. Naso-vocal Palatic y. Naso-vocal. Pervious F. Blaese Labiodental f. Spirital. Pervious V Murm-Blaese. Labiodental v. Vocal. Pervious Th. Blaese Lingua-dental θ. Spirital. Pervious Dh. Murmut-Blaese Lingua-dental ϑ. Vocal. Pervious S. Sibilant Gingival s. Spirital. Pervious Z. Murm-Sibilant Gingival z. Vocal. Pervious Sh. Sibilant. Palatic sh. Spirital. Pervious Sh. Murm-Sibilant Palatic j zh. Vocal. Pervious L. Semi-voc. smooth Gingival l. Vocal-lateral. Pervious R Semi-voc. jarring. Gingival r. Vocal-jarring. Thus every of these Consonants may be differenced and defined by these three respects, 1. Sound or Matter. 2. Appulse of Organ. 3. Manner of Appulse. e. g. B. is Vocal, Labial, Occluse; T. is Spirital, Gingival, Occluse; F. is Spirital, Labiodental, Pervious; ous; and the rest in like manner. It will give much light to what hath hitherto been spoken concerning Consonants, to take a better view of what has been already hinted, and to lay this Hypothesis; viz. That the number of Letters in Nature, is equal to the number of Articulations, severally applied to every distinct matter of Sound. The Articulations of Consonants, i e. the different motions and postures of the Organs of Speech, by which they are form (though possibly more may be found) I suppose to be 9, whereof I have described 7 in 17 Consonants, and added those of L and R. Now let Breath alone, in the Mouth, be first Articulated by these, there will be 9 Consonants, P. T. K. F. Th. S. Sh. L'. R '. Secondly, vocalize the Breath, and make the same Articulations, there will again be 9 more differences of sound, and will make the Consonants B. D.G.V.Dh. Z. Zh. L.R. Thirdly, make the same Articulations again, and let the voice pass through the Nose, and there will be 9 differences more, which will make M. N. Ng. V Dh. Z. Zh. L. R, if the last six be spoken through the Nose, in such manner as we hear it done by those, who (through an ill habit, or by an ill constitution or corrosion of the Wula or Valve, which opens and shuts the passage of Breath to the Nose) are said to speak in the Head, or Snoch. Lastly let Breath only in like manner pass through the Nose, and have the same Articulations, and there will be nine more different sounded Letters, which I cannot describe, but with Characters before used, viz. MY. N. Ng'. F'. Th'. S'. Sh'. L'. R'. Thus there will be by one Primary, joined severally with Four Secondary differences, four times Nine Consonants, viz. 9 Spirital, 9 Vocal, 9 Naso-Spirital, and 9 Naso-Vocal; in all, 36. But finding no necessity of so many, (since Languages are various enough, and copious with those in use;) and withal, that the 6 Naso-Vocal Letters, which are made by pervious Appulse, are not easy nor graceful to pronounce, we reject them, and retain only the Use of the other 3. which are by close Appulse, and are facile and graceful, viz. M. N. N ĝ. And for the same reason we much more exclude 6 of the Naso-Spiritals, viz. those made by pervious Appulse. And for the other 3. though some Nations possibly may take the pains to pronounce them, (especially the last of them, form in the Palate, N ĝ. which perhaps may be the sound of the Hebrew ע) yet being found harsh and troublesome, they are more generally disused, whilst most Nations rather study to sweeten and soften their Pronunciation, and to that end are more ready to change or leave out in their Compositions of words, and Conjugations, and words, borrowed from other Languages, such Letters, as lesle suit with easy Pronunciation. Again, it falls out, that L. and R. being in extremes, one of Roughtness, the other of Smoothness and freeness of Vocality, are not easy, in tract of Vocal speech, to be pronounced spiritally, as are P. T. F. S. etc. but are apt to get a tincture of Vocal sound, (which you will perceive, if you try to pronounce L'a, or R'a, with L and R spirital;) or else with striving to avoid it to become too Guttural; and therefore obtain not a distinct Character, and place in the Alphabet, as Articulations of Breath: Though we meet possibly with something of this nature in the Welsh pronunciation of L, and the Greek of R. And when amongst them we found LL as in LLoyd, etc. or ῤῥ ἐῤῥενον we may conceive one of each pronounced Spiritally, the other Vocally. But in attempting to pronounce these two Consonants, as likewise the Nasals, and some of the vowels Spiritally, the Throat is brought to labour, and it makes that which we call a Guttural pronunciation. Thus out of 4 times 9 i e. 36. casting out as useless (or at best, inconvenient and needless) 9 Naso-Spiritals, 6 Naso-Vocals, and 2 Spiritals, there remain, as proper Elements of Language, 19 Consonants such as are before described. And if they do not all go in equal and parallel Combinations, you see the reason of it. And where some Nations may be found to have a peculiar Guttural or Nasal smatch in their Language, it will be found also, that they labour to retain in their pronunciation (though perhaps not expressed in their Alphabets) some of those Letters, whose use is more generally rejected. And I, not being able to know the distinct usages in all Languages, do not hold myself obliged by the design of this Essay, to accommodate an Alphabet to them all, but think it sufficient in this following Scheme, to lay down all possible Consonants, that we know of in nature; (not to speak now of one stop, whichmay be made in the Larynx, of Breath, before it comes to the Tongue and ;) leaving it to every one's pleasure, upon their experience of foreign usages, to select out of this common stock more Letters than I do, and remove the Obelisks, which are intended for marks of rejection of those Letters, to which they are prefixed. I have not in this Scheme of these 9 Quaternions of Consonants, Distinct known Characters, whereby to express them, but must repeat the same, presupposing those differences of Pronunciation already described. Articulations Spirital Vocal Naso-Spirital Naso-vocal Appulse Close. Labial P B +-M ' M 3 Appulse Close. Gingival T D +-N N 3 Appulse Close. Palatick K G +-Ng ' Ng 3 Appulse Appulse Pervious. Labiadental F V +-F +-V 2 Appulse Pervious. Lingua-dental Th' Dh +-Th +-Dh 2 Appulse Pervious. Gingival-Sibilant S Z +-S +-Z 2 Appulse Pervious. Palatick-Sibilant should Zh +-Sh ' +-Zh 2 Appulse Pervious. Gingival-Free +-L ' L +-L ' L 1 Appulse Pervious. Gingivaljarring +-R ' R +-R ' +-R ' 1 Appulse Pervious. 7 9 0 3 19 In this minute devious subject, I have been necessitated to explain myself in more words, than to some Few may seem needful: For their sakes therefore, I will in a short review, sum up what has hitherto been said. Language is a Connexion of Audible signs, the most apt and excellent in whole nature for Communication of our Thoughts and Notions by Speaking. Written Language is a description of the said Audible Signs, by Signs Visible. The Elements of Language are Letters, viz. Simple discriminations of Breath or Voice, Articulated by the Organs of Speech. The Alphabet consists of so many Letters, as there are to be found such simple Discriminations. And the written Alphabet aught to be just so many single proper Charactes, designed to signify the Sound or Power of each Letter. And these are the store-house of nature; the Elements, and Materials, out of which all Languages are made. These Letters have their Material and their Formal causes, and Organs proper to each. Their Matter is various; viz. Breath, or voice, i e. Breath vocalized by the operation of the Larynx. Their Form is constituted by the Motions and Figures of the Organs of speech, affecting the Breath or Voice with a peculiar sound, by which each Letter is discriminated. Now to found out their just number, first found out the different kinds of Matter, of which Letters are made; and these are in general, Breath when only Spirit or Breath is Articulated; and Voice, when Articulation is of Breath vocalized. And these again more particularly, are either (after they have passed the Larynx) only in the Mouth, or else have passage at the same time through the Nose. So there are 4 kinds of matter: Breath-Oral; Voice-Oral; Breath Ore-nasal, and Voice Ore-nasal. Next, examine how many different Articulations can be made by several Motions and Postures of the Organs in the parts of the Mouth, which applied severally to the kinds of Matter, may make several Discriminations of sound to the Ear, i e. several Letters. And of these (as to Consonants, viz. Letters made by Appulse) I found and have described 9 And if possibly any more may be found out, it is most likely, they will not recompense the Discoverers pains, by being of ready and graceful use, but will be sitter to be cast out amongst those, to which in the preceding Scheme, an obelisk is prefixed. Now by these 9 Articulations with Appulse, there will be framed, Consonants Spirital 9; Vocal 9; Naso-Spirital 9; Naso-Vocal 9; in all 36. Than rejecting those that prove not graceful, nor easy to be pronounced, viz. 2 Spiritals, 9 Naso-Spiritals, and 6 Naso-Vocals, in all 17; there will remain 19 Consonants, proper for use according to the design of Letters. And if those, to whom only these 19 Consonants, (or about that number) appeared, and stood in such confused order, some in Ternary's, some in Pairs, and some single, were themselves put into so much confusion, and so puzzled to give a methodical and natural account of them, it is no matter of wonder. But now looking upon them, as they lie in their original Differences and Combinations, and as they are selected out of a Natural stock of 9 Quaternions, or 4 Novenaries: I think (if I flatter not myself) their Nature and Differences lie most plain and obvious to be understood. In describing Letters framed by Articulation, and more particularly, by Appulse, I have hitherto had no occasion to speak of H, since that H is only a Guttural Aspiration, i e. a more forcible impulse of Breath from the Lungs, applied when we please, before or after other Letters. And if we will ascribe any Articulation by Motion or Figure to it, it is only a more sudden and forcible contraction of the Lungs, and collecting the Breath in the Pipe of the Aspera Arteria, and possibly somewhat streitning it in the mouth of it, which is the Larynx; and all the formation of it ends there: and thus applied to a Vowel, or to some of the Consonants, it does indeed affect them with a different sound, and therefore deserves to be considered in this place; though not as a Consonant, having no Appulse; nor as a Vowel, being never Vocal, but affecting only the Breath, and that by an addition only of force, but not by any new Figure in the Mouth; and so cannot properly be called a Letter, according to that description we have made of Letters; yet in that it causes a sensible, and not incommodious Discrimination of Sound, it aught to be annexed to the Alphabet, and to be expressed in the written Alphabet, by some appropriate Character, or else (as in the Greek) mark of Aspiration. The Use of it before and after Vowels, is familiarly known; but applied to Consonants it needs to be more diligently considered, because to some of them we found it very unfitly joined in our Alphabets and Writing; as when we express the powers of F. V θ. ϑ. etc. by Ph, Bh, Th', Dh, in which Letters there is not any such Guttural Aspiration as H, nor any proper sound of it, neither any mixture of the Natural sounds of P. B. T. or D. But the other are Genuine simple Letters form, by different Figures of the Organs, from those of these last, and aught to be altogether expressed by single proper Characters. The mistake, I guests, lies in this, that Ph and those other, being made by Pervious Appulse, there is some passage of Breath through the Mouth, which by addition of H, (through prejudice taken in with our first A B C,) is thought to difference them from P, and those other Close Letters of near resemblance. But if better examined, there will be found another difference besides that of Perviousness of Appulse, or passage of Breath; and that consists in the Figure of their Articulation; P. and B. are Labial: Ph and Bh, (or F and V) are Labio-dental; T. and D. are Gingival; Th. and Dh. are Lingua-dental. And for their being Pervious, you may call them (if you please,) Perspirate; but yet they are not Aspirate. i e. with such an Aspiration as H. Nor can you well join H. either before or after any of the 6 Oral Occluse Consonants, without an Hiatus, if you retain the true figure of those Letters. As for Sh, which also is an Original simple Letter, because our Alphabet wanted a more proper character for it, and the figure of it gives a rounder passage of Breath than S, (this hissing in the Goums; that, in a larger space, in the ,) it was unaptly supplied by adding H; and the same is Zh to Z: Gh. (as in Through) is only an Aspirate, and G. aught to be left out. And Changed (as we pronounce it) is a compound of T. and Sh. or at lest T. and Y. As also I Consonant with us, or G semblably pronounced, is compounded of D and Zh, or D and Y. In WHAT, WHICH, and the like, H is pronounced before W. and so of right aught to be written. Besides the 9 several Articulations by Appulse before described, I hinted and passed by one, of which yet something may be said, viz. the Stop made by closing the Larynx; though I thought it not worthy to be inserted amongst the Letters, in that it is applied to Breath immediately as it passeth through the Aspera Arteria, and not to Breath or Voice Oral or Nasal, being stopped before it arrives there, or at the Tongue; and, being a stop of that Instrument of Vocal Sound, the Larynx cannot be vocalized: so that, if it should pass for an Articulation, it could frame but one Letter, and that uneasy and unready to be joined with the motions of other Letters in Speech. It is of some Affinity to K, of a middle nature between K. and H. And this being relaxed may make by a Pervions' Appulse there, a shaking of the Larynx, as when we Gargarize: like as snorting inwards doth by shaking the Wula, and as may be done with the Lips. And this coming still nearer to an Aspiration, a Touch of it may perhaps be an Ingredient in the rough Guttural pronunciation of the Welsh and Irish: And I have heard some Critics pronounce the Greek x after that manner, but somewhat softer, and our gh (as in Through) has something of it, being more than a bore Aspiration, if strongly pronounced; and the describing it by a Composition of g and h shows, that our Ancestors had that Notion of it, as a middle sound between G and H, though G was properly put instead of K; for it can have nothing of Vocal sound; Voice being raised by stiff tension of the Larynx, and on the contrary this sound by a relaxed posture of the Muscles thereof. There are other differences of Sound in Speaking, by which the Tone of several Nations, and often of several persons in the same Nation, is rendered distinct, which are partly to be referred to their Alphabets, and partly to their Words and manner of Pronunciation, and Accent. As to their Alphabets, some may be found to take in some Letters, as the Ore spirital L' R ' and Naso-spirital MY N Ng'; which others use not, and which (as hath been observed) give a Guttural and Nasal smatch to their speaking. And in several Languages, sundry of the more graceful Letters in the natural Alphabet, are wholly omitted and difused. Again some being unapt to pronounce some Letters even in their own Language, get a different Tone in speaking. They who have great and long Tongues, cannot so well make that Pervious Appulse of the Tongue to the Goums, which S. requires; but are apt to touch their Teeth, and pronounce Th' instead of S, which is called Lisping. On the contrary they, who have short Tongues, or are Tongue-tied, are apt to fall short of the Appulse of the Tongue to the Teeth, and oftener place it on the Goums, and say T. and D. instead of Th and Dh, as Mother for Mother. They whose is ill form, (such as are said to want the Roof or of the Mouth) or the Muscles of their Tongue are weak and Flaccid, cannot pronounce R. The former for want of sit surface of the to conduct the Breath even and strong to the Goums; the later, for want of strength of the Tongue to sustain the jar. As to their Words, a great difference in the Sound of several Languages ariseth from the sorting of Letters, whereof the Words are framed: some affecting one sort of Letters, some another, to be the most frequent Ingredients in their Words. Some Languages are full of Consonants, as the Polasque: some, as the Italian and French, avoid them: though the French writ some Consonants, which they do not pronounce, to be Indices of the Derivations of their words: and generally more Emphasis and Accent is given to the vowels by our neighbouring Nations, than by us English. I have observed a pretty affectaation in the Alleman and some others, which gives their Speech a different Tangle from ours: to soften the Occluse Gingival Consonants, by a kind of Mixture or soft addition of a Spirital in the same Articulation, to a Vocal producing the Vowel, and making the Consonant end Spirital, which began Vocal, as D T. N N. Stâdt ', Bâdt̂, Mânn', etc. And whilst the Italians strive, as it were, to cut a thread in their Pronunciation between D and T, so to sweeten it; the Florentine comes nearer to T, the Venetian to D. And generally, they make the Occluse Appulse, especially the Gingival, softer than we do, giving a little of perviousness. Many more Observations of these kinds might easily be made, and are to be found in different Languages, all over the habitable world. And in general, the Freedom or Apertness and vigour of pronuncing (as is particularly observed in the Bocca Romana) and giving somewhat more of Aspiration; And on the other side, the closeness and Mufling, and (as I may say) Laziness of speaking (which varieties are found in several Nations comparatively, and by the different natural shapes of the Mouth, and several conformations of the Organs of speech in those of the same Language) tender the sound of their Speech considerably different, though they all should use the same Alphabet. I come now to consider Letters made without Appulse, i e. Vowels, among which will be found two or three more to be added to the before described number of Consonants. The Vewels are made by a free passage of Breath Vocalized through the cavity of the Mouth, without any appulse of the Organs; the said cavity's being differently shaped by the postures of the Throat, Tongue and Lips, some or more of them, but chief of the Tongue. As to the Number of Vowels, they, being differenced by the shape of the cavity of the mouth, may be reckoned very many, if small differences be allowed. But those which are remarkably distinguished, and reasonably suffice to express the pronunciations in use, that we know of, may be reduced to these Eight; α. a. e. i o. oo. u. ȣ; the sounds whereof, according to the vulgar pronunciation, are thus. Long, or accented in the Vowel. α a e i oh oo u ȣ Fall. Fate. Seal. Eel. Cole. Fool. Rule. Two. Short, or accented in the Consonant. Folly. Fat. Sell. iii. Full. There is so much space between a and e, that there may be a vowel inserted between them, and a fit character for it may be ae, and perhaps some Languages may have a distinct use of such a vowel. Whereas I make the Material part of Vowels in their Definition to be Breath vocalized, or voice Oral, I am to be understood, as I treat of Vocal Speech; otherwise the same Vowels may be whispered that is, in use of whispering by Articulations of Breath; and, if there were any use of it, they may be pronounced Nasal, both Spirital and Vocal; but in Vocal Speech they are all Ore-vocals, as to common and ready use, and are to be accounted just so many, as there are several Articulations, by which they are made. The Articulations, that is, the Motions and Postures of the Organs in framing the Vowels, are more difficultly discerned, than those of the Consonants; because in the Consonants, the Appulse is more manifest to the sense of Touching, but in the Vowels it is so hard to discern the Figures made by the Motions of the Tongue, (inclining only toward the , and not touching it) especially about the more inward Boss or convex of it, that it is rendered no lesle difficult to define the Articulations of the Vowels; and he that can describe them accurately, erit mihi magnus Apollo. Only he who shall adventure, has this advantage, that it is easier to affirm, than to disprove. Neither are we obliged to seek, nor can expect to found any exact method of nature in the Articulations of Vowels, (as e. g. to found them equally sorted into Gutturals, Palatick, or Gingivals, and Labials) no more than were found in those of the Consonants; where, of 9 Articulations, there are Labial 1; Labiodental 1; Linguadental 1; Gingival 4; Palatic 2; and some of these irregularly differing from the rest. I shall therefore take upon me not more, than to set down, what I think may be perceived in examining those Articulations. But first, to discover how much the middle and inward Boss of the upper surface of the Tongue is used here, and how little the end of it (except only to conduct and give way,) you will upon trial found yourself able to pronounce all the Vowels, holding the end of your Tongue, all the while steady against your Teeth. And you may come very near, doing the same without altering the posture of your Lips: which evinceth, that all vowels are form by the Tongue, though in some the Lips concur, and in some, the Throat. And whilst you make this trial, the Motions of the Tongue by Contraction, Dilatation, etc. are so easy and so subtle, that you can hardly conceive or distinguish them aright. But we may imagine the Vowel (α) to be made by the freest and openest passage of the Throat through the Mouth, and so to have a kind of natural Articulation without Art, only by opening the Mouth: (a) to be a little straightened by the Boss of the Tongue near the Throat; and therefore if you try to pass from (α) to (a) you will found that you thrust the end of your Tongue something forward to raise the Boss of the Tongue towards the to streiten the passage. In (e) the middle of the is straightened, by the breadth of the Tongue, and therefore the end of the Tongue carried yet forwarder. And in (i) still more after the same manner, but with a stronger and firmer Tension of the Muscles of the Tongue bearing it stisly very near the , and resting the sides of the Tongue against the side-teeths. In (oh) the Larynx is depressed, or rather drawn back by contraction of the Aspera Arteria. And the Tongue likewise is drawn back and Curved; and the Throat more open to make a round passage: and though the Lips be not of necessity, yet the drawing them a little rounder, helps to accomplish the pronunciation of it, which is not enough to denominate it a Labial Vowel, because it receives not its Articulation from the Lips. (oo) seems to be made by a like posture of the Tongue and Throat with (oh) but the Larynx somewhat more depressed. And if the Lips at the same time be contracted, and born stiffly near together, than is made ȣ. (u) with the Tongue in the posture of (i) but not so stiff, and the Lip born near the upper Lip by a strong Tension of the Muscles, and bearing upon it at either corner of the mouth. Thus, it seems, in oo and (oh) the Throat; in (α) the Mouth is more opened: in a. e. i the streitnings of the cavity of the mouth between the Tongue and , are gradually both forwarder and nearer the Roof. (ȣ) is made by the Throat, and Tong, and Lip. (u) by the Tongue and Lip; in ȣ the Tongue being in the posture, which makes (oo;) and in (u) in the same posture, which makes (i) And in this, ȣ and u are peculiar, that they are framed by a double motion of Organs, that of the Lip, added to that of the Tongue; and yet either of them is a single Letter, and not two, because the motions are at the same time, and not successive, as are eu. pla. etc. Yet for this reason they seem not to be absolutely so simple Vowels as the rest, because the voice passeth successively from the Throat to the Lips in ȣ, and from the to the Lips in u, being there first moulded into the sigures of oo and i, before it be fully Articulated by the Lips. And yet, ei ther these two, ȣ and u, are to be admitted for single Vowels, or else we must exclude the Lips from being the Organs of any single Vowel since that the Mouth being necessary to conduct the Voice to the Lips, will, according to the shape of its cavity, necessarily give the Voice some particular affection of sound in its passage, before it come to the Lips; which will seem to make some such composition in any Vowel which is Labial. I have been inclined to think, there is no Labial Vowel, but that the same affection from the Lips may, somewhat in the nature of a Consonant, be added to every of the Vowels, but most subtly, and aptly to two of them, whose Figures are in the extremes in respect of Aperture and Situation, one being the closest and forwardest, which is i, and the other being most open and backward; there being reason to allow a Vowel of like sound in the Throat with ȣ, but distinct from it as not being Labial; which will be more familiar to our Eye if it be written oo; as in Cut, Coot, Full, Fool, Tut, Toot, in which the Lip does not concur; and this is that other. Thus u will be only i Labial, and ȣ will be oo Labial, that is, by adding that motion of the under-Lip, i will become u, and oo will become ȣ; and than the Series of the Vowels according to their degrees of aperture, and recess towards the Larynx, will be thus, i, e, ae, a, α, oh, oo; to which may be added u and ȣ, because of their general use, as being Labially affected more subtly than the rest. Taking these than for Vowels, it is next observable, that i u. ȣ. have another peculiar property above the other Vowels, being made by a strong Tension and firm posture of the Organ; the first, of the Tongue, the two later, of the Lip, making almost an Appulse, that by reason thereof they serve indifferently for Vowels in respect of the Aperture, and for Consonants in respect of the pene-appulse, and so much the more verging either way, by the liberty of managing the Organs, according to the respective Occasions. And it is here observable, how excellently Nature has provided for the Readiness and Easiness of Speech. For if Speech were to be made only by Vowels, there would be an hiatus; we could not speak distinct enough, and the Breath would spend too fast; therefore it is checked by the Appulses made in Consonants; and if it should be all Consonants, the Voice would be too much abated, and the passage would not be easy from one Syllable or collection of Letters to another; but being both mixed together, one Vowel in every Syllable, for variety's sake, sometimes preceding, sometimes following, and sometimes interposed between the Consonants (by checking and reserving the Breath, and letting it pass with a quick impulse at the Aperture of the Organs for the Vowel) give a vigour and emphasis to the Sound: And the motions of the Organs become more facile and ready by the mixture of Apertures with Appulses. But in these three Vowels, of which I am now treating, there seems to be a kind of Lusus Naturae; these are of a middle constitution between Vowels and Consonants, partaking of both: and we see, how many disputes, their simple and ambiguous nature hath created among the Grammarians, and how it has begot the mistake concerning Diphthongs; they being all, that are accounted properly such, compounded either with i u. or ȣ, and are, as I conceive, Syllables and not Diphthongs (as it is intended to be signified by that word:) i ȣ. and u than supplying the place and nature of Consonants by streitning the passage of Breath, so as to check it not much lesle, than is done by some of the Pervious Consonants, and by making a smart stroke at the Aperture in passage to another Vowel, Vid. Append. answerable to the Collision, or rather Divulsion of the Organs made by other Consonants, as is evident in pronouncing jam, ȣa. id est ya. wa. For the same reason, of the improper Diphthongs the most passable are those compounded with e or oh, as ea, oa, because of the nearness, that oh has to ȣ, and e to i, and having either of them a little of that Spring in the Muscles, which I have last described. Concerning ȣ and u, this may be observed, that in subjoyning them to another vowel, ȣ is apt to follow α and oh, because of their resemblance in the posture of the Tongue, as hath been said; and for the like reason u is apt to follow a and e, as ȣaȣl, wawl. euge, etc. But generally if the Vowels follow, than it is ȣ precedes, and not u Our vulgar (i) as in (stile) seems to be such a Dipthong (or rather syllable or part of a syllable) composed of a. i or e. i and not a simple Original Vowel. I may now give you a Scheme of the whole Alphabet. Letters, i e. such simple Discriminations of Sound as may be Elements of Signs for communication by Speech, are differenced by Matter of Sound, prepared by the Lungs, Larynx, Mouth, Nose. Breath Oral (and may be styled) Ore-spirital. Ore-Nasal. (and may be styled) Naso-spirital. Voice. Oral (and may be styled) Orevocal. Ore-Nasal. (and may be styled) Naso-vocal. Form, Articulation by Appulse of one Organ to another, Consonants by degree Plenary Close Lip to Lip. Labial, as B. Tong to Gums. Gingival, D. Tong to , Palatic, G. Partial Pervious Lip to Teeth. Labiodental V Tong to Teeth, Lingua-dental Dh. Tong to Gums, Gingival Sibilant. Z. Jarring. R. Lateral. L. Tong to , Palatic, Zh. or J. Inclination of one Organ to another without Appulse. Vowels— α. a. ae. e. i o. oo. u. ȣ. Thus there are 9 Articulations with Appulse, which applied severally to four sorts of matter, viz. Breath-Oral, Breath Ore-nasal, Voice-Oral, Voice-Ore-nasal, may make 36 Consonants; whereof I have instanced in one to each Articulation, having before described other three to each Articulation. And likewise nine Articulations without Appulse so applied, may make 39 vowels. Of these some are Commodious Consonants Ore-spirital, 7. p. t. k. f. th'. s. sh. Orevocal, 9 b. d. g. v. dh. z. zh. l. r. Naso-vocal, 3. M. N. Ng. Vowels, Orevocal— 9 α. a. ae. e. i o. oo. u. ȣ. Uneasy and unpleasant, or not sufficiently distinct. Consonants Ore-spirital 2. L ● R ᶜ Naso-spirital 9 Naso-vocal 6. Vowels Ore-spirital 9 viz. in vocal speech, (of which I am treating) but in whispering they are commodious. Naso-spirital 9 viz. in vocal speech, (of which I am treating) but in whispering they are commodious. Naso-vocal 9 viz. in vocal speech, (of which I am treating) but in whispering they are commodious. Of intermediare Figures without determinate number. The Vowels, in respect of their Articulations, may seem not unfitly to be sorted into Guttural— oo. o.α. Palatic— a. ae. e. i Labio-Guttural— ȣ. Labio-Palatic— u. There are some other Accidents besides those spoken of before, which have an Influence in varying the Sound of Languages, as Accent and Emphasis; which though now much confounded, seem to have been formerly more distinguished. Accent, as in the Greek names and usage, seems to have regarded the Tune of the voice; the Acute accent raising the Voice in some certain Syllables, to a higher, i e. more acute Pitch or Tone, and the Grave depressing it lower, and both having some Emphasis, i e. more vigorous pronunciation. The Circumflex keeps the voice in a middle Tune, and therefore in the Latin is compounded of both the other, but withal adding an Emphasis and longer stay upon that Syllable, expressed in Greek by a suitable character [῀] And therefore the Syllable, which is circumflexed, is always accounted long. This Tuning of the Voice by Accent, is of great concern to the gracefulness of pronunciation. And although our Languages have not such accurate Rules for it as the Greek had, yet it is much considered, and submitted to the judgement of more Critical Ears, to direct and determine what is graceful, and what is not; and here arises a difference in the Sound of Languages, by the different Use of Accent. For example, the French and Greek run contrary one to the other: Whereas the Greek in the end of a word changeth the Acute accent to a Grave, and most Languages have somewhat like (which is therefore called Cadence of their voice;) the French conclude with an acute Accent, raising the Tune of their Voice in the last Syllable. Emphasis is of a larger consideration and extent, and not so much regards the Tune (leaving that to Accent) as a certain Grandeur, whereby some Letter, Syllable, Word, or Sentence is rendered more remarkable than the rest, by a more vigorous pronunciation, and a longer stay upon it: As, in a Speech some Sentences are made more remarkable, in a Sentence some one or two words; in a Word, some one Syllable; and in a Syllable, some one Letter. And of these Two last I am chief here concerned to take notice. In a Poly-syllable word, it is first to be considered, to which Syllable the Emphasis is to be given, and in each Syllable, to which Letter the former of these is usually confounded with Accent; but in the later lies the greatest difference of Pronunciation, the Consonants coming in for a share of Emphasis, and making a Syllable long, where the Vowel is short: E. g. Alteza, in respect of the whole word, the Emphasis and Accent lies in the first Syllable, but than that Syllable is again capable of a twofold Emphasis, viz. either in the Vowel or in the Consonant. Most Foreigners pronounce their Vowels soft, as this they pronounce Aaltera, or Aultera, staying upon the Vowel, and making a soft gentle Appulse in the Consonant; We are apt to pronounce it Alteza, making the Vowel short and giving the Emphasis to the Consonant. And this kind of Emphasis, viz. of the Consonant, is apt to gain too much place in our Speech, and I take it to be a general vicious habit in our pronunciation, as they, who learn to sing, will found; for their first attempt must be, to unlearn that habit. So also We say Forma, they, Fôrma, or (as we would writ it, if it were English) Forema. We say, Mórtem; they Moretem or Moortem. We say, Cońsonańt, they Cônsonánt, or, Conesonaunt. We say, Catt, they, Caut. Yet something may be said on our behalf, that giving an Emphatical Sound to the Consonants, makes our Pronunciation more distinct, and certain to the Ear. And here it may be proper to assert, that there is no such thing in nature as a double Letter, either Consonant or Vowel, in one and the same Syllable, and it is incongruous, to writ them so. For whereas every Letter written should have one and but one determinate signification, to express the power of some one certain Sound made by the Mouth; with more than Poetical Licence one sign is set for another, and the same Letters in the same Alphabet in several words, are made to have several powers. Thus in our English, ee, and ie, and e, for i, (as Feel, Field, English:) oo for ȣ, etc. And frequently the Emphasis is incongruously supplied by adding quiescent Letters (the Phrase confessing the absurdity) as Bate Bat, Base Basse, Bore Bar. But I do not intent to pursue the many Pseudography's in use, which are too numerous; but to show of how great concern the Emphasis were, if rightly used; and how most of those Anomalies in writing might be avoided, and better supplied by noting our Words or Syllables, that need it, with some mark of Emphasis. This will show, when a Vowel is to be pronounced long or short, and cut of superfluous Quiescent Letters, and double Consonants: for, when there is a double Consonant written, though sometimes it changeth the Vowel, Ale, All, Cale, Call; yet generally it serves to transfer the Emphasis from the Vowel to the Consonant. This kind of Emphasis than, I mean not the Emphasis of a Syllable in reference to a word, but the Emphasis of a Letter in respect of Syllables, as it is to belong either to the Vowel, or to the later Consonant (if there be any) in the same syllable, if it were better heeded, and noted by some mark, would conduce much to Orthography; as for example, if an Accent were placed over the Vowel, or else over the Consonant, as the case requires, ál, all, or rather, leaving the Accent to mark out the Syllable in a word, to which Emphasis is due, where need is; make use of long and short Characters set over the Vowel, and to make the lest work, suppose every Vowel to be long, which is not marked, and mark only those Vowels, which are to be pronounced short, and the Emphasis transferred to the following Consonant. Thus instead of Ball Boll, Bale, Ballad; Beal, Bell; Biele, or Beel, Bill; writ Bαl, Băl; Bal, Bălad; Bel, Bĕl; Bill, Bĭl: I say, if our pronunciation were written in proper Letters, and with marks of Emphasis, it would restore Orthography, and cut of many superfluous Letters that are written, not to be pronounced, but only to make an incongruous supply of Emphasis, or to altar the power of some other Letters in the same word; whereof in some Languages so many examples are found, that it would be tedious to recount them. In the mean time we are apt very unjustly to laugh at the uncouth Spelling in the writings of unlearned persons, who writing as they please, that is, using such Letters, as justly express the power or Sound of their Speech; yet, forsooth, we say writ not true English, or true French, etc. Whereas the Grammarians themselves, aught rather to be blamed, and derided for accommodating Words so ill with Letters, and Letters with so faulty Alphabets, that it requires almost as much pains to learn how to pronounce what is written, and to writ what is spoken, as would serve to learn the Language itself, if Characters or Signs written were exactly accommodated to Speech. But, though it be true, that this so needless and unprofitable encumbrance of Learning might wholly be removed by rectified Alphabets, and settling a just correspondence between the Signs Audible, and the Signs Visible, if such Alphabets and a regular usage of them could take place; yet it is not to be hoped or imagined, that the incongruous Alphabets, and Abuses of writing can ever be justled out of their Possession of all Libraries and Books, and universal habit and practice of Mankind. This were to imply, that all Books in being should be destroyed and abolished, being first new Printed after such rectified Alphabets; and that all the Age should be prevailed with, to take new pains to unlearn those habits, which have cost them so much labour. Neither did any such Hopes or Ambition set my thoughts on work, but partly the worthiness and curiosity of this Subject in itself, and chief the great use of an accurate knowledge of the Nature of Letters and Speech, in directing to a steady and effectual way of Instructing Deaf and Dumb persons, to obtain a reasonable perfection of utterance of Speech; and to discern (in some measure) with their Eye, by observing the motions of their Mouth, what others speak. And to that end I have added to this Essay an Appendix, relating that design; both which I hope and promise' myself, will found a Candid reception from those, who shall consider these poor and slight Papers, as a work of Charity and Compassion; and may be acceptable to them, as it is pleasing to myself, to have studied some relief for the Calamitous and Deplorable Condition of persons Deaf and Dumb. APPENDIX Concerning Persons DEAF AND DUMB. AMongst Dumb Persons, there are very sew, who are such through defect in the Organs of Speech; but most commonly that Imperfection is the effect, or rather consequence of want of Hearing, by some disorder or defect in the Organs appertaining to that Sense. The Organs of Speech are many and large, and managed by so great a number of Muscles, that Speech is not easily destroyed, though often somewhat vitiated, as to some particular Letters, and as to ready pronunciation in general; but they, who have such Imperfections, are not thereby utterly deprived of the Use of Speech: whereas the Organs of Hearing are few and small, and a little disorder or defect wholly overthrows the use of that Sense. There are three very little Bones in the Ear, upon whose right constitution, depends the due Tension of the Tympanum; and if the action of one little Muscle, which serves to draw one of these Ossicles, fixed to the Tympanum, be lost or abated, the tension of that Membrane ceasing, Sound is hindered from coming into the Ear: And I am of opinion, that the most frequent cause of Deafness is to be attributed to the Laxness of the Tympanum, when it has lost its Brace or Tension by some irregularity in the Figure of those Bones, or defect in that Muscle: Some instance whereof, I have formerly given in a Paper presented to the Royal Society, See the end of this Discourse. whereby Sound is, as it were, shut out of doors by the intervention of that Laxe Membrane, and not suffered to pass into the inward Ear, and arrive at the Auditory Nerve: Like as the Voice is sometimes intercluded by a hoarseness, or viscous phlegm, cleaving to the Aspera Arteria, Larynx and Wula; so that, allhough there be no fault in the Organs of Articulation, yet there is no voice to be Articulated. Now as to the most general case of those who are Deaf and Dumb; I say, they are Dumb by consequence from their Deasness, only because they are not taught to speak. The Natural part of Speech, viz. Words made of Letters, by such exquisite various Articulations, is learned by much practile and imitation. And much more the Artificial part, viz. Institution of Significancy of Language, cannot be acquired without great help of Instruction. And to that end the Tongue and the Ear, Speaking and Hearing, hold a correspondence, by which we learn to imitate the Sound of Speech, and understand the meaning of it. But he that never hears a word spoken, nor can be told what it signifies, it is no wonder if such an one remain speechless: as out of question any one must do (though of integral principles) who from an Infant should be bred up amongst Mutes, and have no teaching. Such than is the case in hand, that they who want that Sense of Discipline (Hearing) are also by consequence deprived of Speech, not by any immediate Organical Indisposition, but for want of Discipline. Finding than a Person in this condition, not capable of Hearing; if we would endeavour to make use of the Organs of Speech (supposed to be of sufficient constitution) there is no way, but to have recourse to the other Learned Sense, which is Seeing; and to found out some means (though farther about and more laborious) of instructing him by his Eyes, and showing him the visible motions and figures of the Mouth, by which Speech is Articulated. And to apply the Doctrine of Letters to this use and purpose, is the Design of this Appendix. Where our first business had need be, to Animate the Undertaker, and consider, whether it be possible or no: For it must be confessed, that there lie in the way great Objections and Difficulties, which seem to discourage, and portend such a design unfesible. But I doubt not to show you, how to overcome those seeming demonstrable Impossibilities, and show, how truly it is said, Venit miseris solertia rebus. The First difficulty which occurs, is, that it will be painful and irksome to a deaf Person to exercise his Voice, as even those, who have no defect, are apt to be tired and spent with much speaking, and found a hoarseness in their Voice, and weariness in the Lungs and Muscles of the Larynx; and it will be very hard to prevail with him to submit himself to so troublesome a course of Learning, being Deaf to all persuasions and arguments, by which we might excite him to it. I confess, this Objection stands upon the threshold, as a great discouragement. And except a great regard be had to it, who ever goes about this design, will attempt it in vain, especially in the first progress in it. Therefore the Deaf Person must be gently and discreetly treated, and by all kind of pleasant usage wrought upon, to take some pains at it; watching your seasons, and taking great care, that he may not hate his task, but do it cheerfully. He must be alured by much sweetness, and encouraged, as often as you have the lest occasion, by applause and admiration; and must exercise often, and a little at a time, so as not to vex and weary him; and in some time, habit and custom, and the pleasure he will take in it, will make it easier to him. 2. Some of the Consonants, and most of the Vowels, being Articulated by so obscure Motions and Figures, that the most Learned can hardly agreed to describe them, it may well be doubted how they can be described to the Eye of Deaf Persons. And further, if all the 9 Articulations of the 19 Consonants were understood and imitated by him; yet how can he discern the Material Differences, which make up the number of Consonants, and consist only in Sound, and cannot be represented to the Eye. The former part of this objected difficulty is easily answered by saying, that in Ascents, every step gained is a footing and help to the next: and in the Elements of Geometry, the Definitions, and Axioms, and Postulata, and easier propositions, serve to elucidate, and demonstrate harder Theorems and Problems. Thus you will found, that when you have conducted him through the plainer part of the Alphabet, he will begin so far to understand his task, that more imperfect descriptions will serve to carry him on to the end of it. As to the second part of this objection, it must be confessed a thing not fesible to represent the Material Difference of Consonants to the Eye; Sound being only the object of Hearing: Yet the Nasal Differences may be pointed at; but those Seven pairs, before discoursed of, cannot be distinguished by Sight. And in this case it is chief that I said, the design must be compassed by a way further about; and such a way I shall direct in its proper place, which shall easily and certainly effect it. 3. Supposing a Deaf person to have gained a perfect pronunciation of all Letters and Words, and that all the Articulations were to be discerned by his Eye, in the Mouth of one who speaks to him; yet this, as to Consonants, could discover but 9 differences, and must leave 10 Letters and indeed all undistinguished: so that it is impossible to discern certainly what Letter is pronounced. And than it must likewise seem impossible (what is so frequently spoken of and attested) for a Deaf Person, by observing the Motions of another man's Mouth, to know what he says, and to uphold a current communication of discourse with him. This objection seems unanswerable, and the difficulty not to be conquered; and it must be granted, that it is impossible to know infallibly by the Eye, what another speaks. But yet there is an equity and relief in this Case, as I shall make appear in cases not much different. As First, Any Equivocal word spoken alone, cannot be determined to any one certain Sense and Signification by him that hears it; of which there are numerous examples in every Language: Yet the same word in Connexion of Speech, as part of a sentence, is understood as easily as any other; ex. gr. But: if I ask you, what I mean by that word, you will answer, I may mean this or that thing, or something else, you cannot tell which: you can distinguish, but you must leave me to determine; but if I join it with other words in Construction and Sense, as (But I will not. (a But of Wine.) But and Boundary) the Ram will But) (Shoot at a But); the meaning of it will be as ready to you, as any other word. In like manner if the Deaf Person discern with his Eye one single Articulation, suppose by the Appulse of the Lips, he cannot distinguish whether it be p. b. or m. But this same Articulation joined with others, in Words and Sense, he having a general perception of the subject, whereof you discourse, and a greater than ordinary measure of Sagacity, will not be to seek, which of these three Labial Consonants you used. There is a common experiment, which will come still near to the case in hand; in Whispering, we Articulate only Ore-spirital, and Naso-spirital Sounds, and yet use words, which consist much of Orevocal, and Naso-vocal Consonants, and have no other difference from other Consonants of the same Articulation, but that they are Vocal. And these Vocal Letters in Whispering we make Spirital, and so they come to be the very same, each with his compeer, which is Ore-spirital; of which I have given 7 pairs in the discourse foregoing. Now, though b and p, t and d, k and g, f and v, th' and dh, s and z, should and zh, are but in effect 7 Letters, and have no distinction at all, each from his Compeer, in Whispering, neither in respect of Organ, nor Articulation, nor Sound: and therefore being singly pronounced, cannot be distinguished neither by the Eye nor Ear; yet we are not at all perplexed with the confusion of these Letters in whispering, but by our habit and knowledge of Language, can as readily understand one another, when we whisper, as when we speak aloud: & yet these Consonants are not much lesle confused to the Ear in Whispering, than in Speaking they are to the Eye. It is observable, that the Histories of those, who could discern Speech by their Eye, are most of such, as having had knowledge of Language, and a readiness in Speaking, falling afterwards into Deafness, have lost the use of Speech, but still retain the memory of it. Now if we can by Industry, make our Deaf and Dumb Persons reasonably perfect in the Language and Pronunciation, he may be also capable of the same privilege of understanding by the Eye what is spoken, though the Letters singly pronounced are ambiguous and may deceive him. In short, though it be impossible for a Deaf Person, by his Eye accurately and certainly to distinguish Letters singly spoken, (as it is likewise in words equivocal spoken, and Letters whispered, to those that hear;) Yet in tract of Speech, as a dubious word is easily known by the Coherence with the rest; and a dubious Letter by the whole Word; so may a Deaf Person, having attained a competent knowledge of Language, and assisted by an acute Sagacity, by some more evident word discerned by his Eye, know the Sense, and by the Sense other Words, and by the Words the obscurer Letters; and so, notwithstanding this difficulty objected, make good use of this Institution, not only to speak, but, in a good measure (so far as to serve for converse) know what others say to him: And the rather, because having learned by his Eye, and being enured to that kind of observation, he is quicker to perceive the Motions of Articulation, and Conjunctures of Letters in Words, than we can easily imagine. Having thus surmounted the difficulties, I shall mention some such things as give encouragement to this enterprise. And First that, which was before hinted, that in Deaf and Dumb Persons, their Necessity excites a great observation and sagacity to supply their defects, and to bear up and maintain Converse with others, who enjoy the benefit of all their Senses. And being denied Communication by the Ear, their Eyes are the more vigilant, attended and heedful, which renders them much more capable of being improved by directions and instructions applied to that Sense, and gives a delight and encouragement to those, who teach such apprehensive Scholars. 2. The only movable Organs belonging to the Sense of Hearing, being Two of those Three little Bones before mentioned, viz. the Incus and Malleus; and so much depending upon the adequate motion of those Two Ossicles to give due Tension to the Tympanum, their Motions being small, are easily subverted, and from thence most frequently comes loss of Hearing. Now that which I would infer, is, That in those generally the Auditory Nerve, is sound, and by a branch of the same Nerve, that goes between the Ear and the of the Mouth, they can make a shift to hear themselves, though their outward Ear be stopped by the Laxe Membrane to all Sounds, that come that way; and so they have some little pleasure in speaking, and guide themselves by that little Hearing, to retain, and improve a habit of Speaking whatsoever they have once been taught. 3. The Figures of some Articulations are most easy to be showed to the Eye, as the Consonants Labial, Labiodental, Linguadental, and Gingival, and Palatic, Occluse, and the Gingival-Lateral; so that who soever makes trial, shall begin to make some progress with great success and encouragement, and gain ground to make the remaining part of the Alphabet more easy, by the habit and method of prevailing so far onwards. 4. Language being defined, a Connexion of the best Signs for Communication, and Written Language, Visible signs of the signs Audible; And the Elements of each respectively, and the correspondence and mutual assistance of each to other, being such, as in the foregoing discourse is more fully shown; You have a great help, by showing Letters and Words written, to conduct a Deaf person on, in exercising him to express the same by pronunciation; and what soever you gain upon him this way, will be retained, and made use of in the other. Add to all this the admirable Curiosity and singular Excellency of this design, the consideration whereof will sustain the Patience and animate the Industry of him who shall undertake it. Having thus considered what ground and encouragement there may be for such an undertaking; I shall now in the plainest manner I can, lay down such Directions and Rules, as I myself have made trial of, to instruct a Deaf person to make use of his Organs of Speech, and cease to be Dumb, enjoying the great felicity of that most expedite way of Communication: Which may serve, till some more able Person shall be excited, by Improvements and Additions, to give a greater Perfection to this design. First make your own Alphabet according to the Number of Letters and their Natural order. In respect of easiness, Consonants first (because their Appulses are manifest) and than Vowels; and in ordering Consonants respect chief, either Their Sound— p. t. k. f. θ. s. sh. b. d. g. v. ϑ. z. j m. n. r. l. r. Their Organ— p. b. m. f. v. θ. ϑ. t. d. n. s. z. l. r. sh. j k. g. r. Their Degree of Appulse.— p. b. t. d. k. g. m. n. n. f. v. θ. ϑ. s. z. sh. j l. r. The last of these I take to be much the best order, in which to teach a Deaf Person. Than, add the Vowels, α. a. ae e. i o. oo. u. ȣ: but so accurate a distinction will not be necessary. The through-understanding of the nature of this Alphabet, will direct you, what and how many are the Articulations of Letters, which may be represented to the Eye; and what are the other differences of Letters, that you may invent some other Artifices, besides visible representation, to make a Deaf Person learn and apprehended them. This Alphabet must be your own Clew to guide you; but the Deaf person is not to be troubled with it, because he is also to learn to writ and read as others do; and therefore must be taught the common Alphabet of that Language, which he is to learn, and must use those incongruous compositions, and other Anomalies of vulgar writing; in which you must understand how to manage him, by Reduction of them to the true Alphabet of Nature; in which practice, you will (to your cost) discover the inconvenience of faulty Alphabets and Usages of writing. Let him first learn to writ after a Copy of all the Letters in the vulgar Alphabet, till his Eye be well acquainted with their Figures, and he be able to writ them pretty well. When you begin to teach him to speak, you may use this method. letter (s) p. Writ down in a paper p. and b; and make signs to him to endeavour to pronounce, and guide him by showing him the motion of your own Lips, to offer at one of those Letters: which being the easiest of all, he will with a little endeavour stumble upon one of them. Show him upon the Paper the Letter, which he hits upon, and much applauding and encouraging him, make him repeat it often, till he be very perfect both in the pronunciation and in the written Character of that Letter: suppose it was P. letter (s) B Than next point at B. and direct him with the same motion of his Lips to pronounce it. With long trying he perceiving, that you require him to make a different Letter with the same Figure of the Mouth, will at last found out how to do it, and utter something different from p. which will be B, though he understand not, wherein the difference lies, but finds it out; and being excluded from p, and labouring to pronounce another Letter with the same Figure of his Lips, make him perfect in B. And let him diligently practise these two Letters, pointing sometimes at one, sometimes at the other in the paper, till he be perfect in both. letter (s) T Next show him the posture of the end of the Tongue close to the Goums, and he will without much difficulty be brought to pronounce either T, or else D. Use the same method as before, and which soever he speaks, show it him written, and having the other also written in the paper, show him that, after he has conned the First, and require it of him, still keeping the same posture of the Mouth: which having obtained of him, make him perfect in them both, before you carry him further. letter (s) K. G. Next teach him in like manner K and G calling them Ka and Ga'; but to show him the posture of these, you had need provide a with the upper jaw, of Plaster, and the shape of a Tongue of stuffed Leather, which will be useful to you to describe to him, how the Boss of the Tongue in these Letters is born close in the inner part of the near the Throat; and more useful, when you would describe the Vowels: but yet both may be done without it. If you found him stick at this Letter, put your finger to the outside of his Throat, whilst he is offering to pronounce, and check his Breath there, and he will soon perceive what he is to do, and can scarce choose but speak K. When he has got one of these Letters perfect, gain the other by the same way of Exclusion, as before. Having thus gained of the Occluse Consonants, three Ore-spirital, p. t. k. and three Orevocal, b. d. g; letter (s) M. N. Ng. there remain the three Naso-vocal, m. n. ng. which will be most easily learned by the same way of exclusion, requiring him to pronounce a Labial Letter, that is, neither p. nor b. and pointing to his Nose, to breathe that way, he will soon pronounce m. and in like manner n and ng. letter (s) F. V Th. Dh. The Dental Consonants are very easy, therefore let them be the next, and first the Labiodentals, f, v, which, as also the Linguadentals, th', dh, he will soon learn by the method before directed; though dh may be let alone, being never written so in our Language. But since a Consonant, or at lest some of the Consonants, cannot well be pronounced alone, without a Vowel joined to them, it may be considered here, whether in naming the Consonants, it is better that the Vowel go before, or follow it? and what Vowel? In our vulgar Alphabet, it is observable, that in all occluse Consonants, except the Nasals, the Vowel follows, as be, ce, de, ge, ka, pe, qu, te; but in the pervious Consonants, and the Nasals, because they have passage through the Nose, the Vowel precedes; as, ef, el, 'em, en, er, es: only z. hath something peculiar; and in that it is accounted a double Letter (which it is not in the Natural Alphabet, any more than S,) we may imagine it to have been anciently pronounced, as it is now by the Italians, Ds or 'tis; and so to be called Zad from the Hebrew Tsadi: but yet to make out my observation, we, who pronounce it as a single Letter, do as often call it Yzard. Now, as to our present purpose, we need not be curious, How, nor which Vowels we join to the Consonants, since every way they serve to express the power of the Consonant audibly, which is all that is intended: but only our regard must be to choose the way, that may seem more easy; to which end, such a pronunciation, as this that follows, may be suitable: be, ce, de, fa, ga, be, ja, [zha] ka, lafoy, ma, na, pe, cue, ra, sa, te, va, wa, eks, ya, za. The reason why I place the Vowels after the Consonants, is, Because the opening of an Appulse before a Vowel has a smart Spring and force of the Muscle, the motion being assisted by the Impulse of Breath, and so is more sensible, and consequently more easy to be observed and learned, than the shutting of the Organs to make an Appulse (i e. a Consonant) after a Vowel, because in this the Motion is resisted and hindered by the force of Breath, as much as it was assisted in the other. This is eminently seen in the Vowel Consonants, Y, W. For when they precede, as Ya, Wa, there is none but is easily persuaded, that they are as Consonants, but when they follow, as Aye, Aw, their force is so abated, that they are mistaken for mere Vowels. And so, as I conceive (but with submission to better Judgements) came in the Notion of Diphthongs into the world; in all which, that are accounted properly such, either Y or W, or (which is the same in effect) i or u, follow the other Vowel, as ai, ei, oi, au, eu, ou: only the Greek hath vi, which if it is to be pronounced in one Syllable, and that pronunciation be Genuine; it is no other than our Why, as ὑιος, Whios; where i is the Vowel, and u in the nature of a Consonant. But to return, we need not be tied to either way of naming the Consonants, whether with the Vowel before or after; but in practising to teach, try both ways, especially in sonorous Consonants, l. m. n. r. s. z. and accept of that, which is hit on first, with whatsoever Vowel, and whether before or after the Consonant, because it equally serves our purpose to express the power of the Consonant. But when you have brought him to pronounce all Syllables forward and backward; you may than at pleasure bring him nearer to the vulgar pronunciation of the Alphabet, by writing it again, as you would have him settled in pronouncing it after this manner, a, be, ce, de, e, ef, ga, he, i, ka, el, 'em, en, oh, pe, cue, are, es, te, u, va, we, ex, ya, zad, adding dha, that, sha', zha. This being premised, let the next Letters he learns, be s and z. Your Scholar by this time will be pretty perfect at finding out an Ore-voeal to an Ore-spirital, or contrary, in the same posture of Organs, as he shall hap first to hit, and you will have need of something of the same kind of Art, though in another way, to teach him ss or z. Show a Gingival Appulse, and withal by holding your Mouth near to the back of his hand, bare, whilst you pronounce one of these Letters before him, make him perceive that it is a pervious Letter, i e. that breath passeth out of your Mouth to your Tongues end, whilst you speak it: and show him that T. is close, but this lets breath pass; and with often trial he will hit on it (though at first it may be lispingly or imperfectly;) there being only L or R remaining, which are made by that kind of posture and L so different, and R so difficult, that he will most likely by this kind of exclusion found out S, and having gained that, he will soon have Z. letter (s) Z Than show him the posture of Sh. letter (s) should, with the Artificial Tongue and , and guiding him from S to should, and making him understand by Signs, that they resemble in manner of Sound, and differ in posture, he will perceive and learn it; and consequently Zh. letter (s) Zh. And if you please now, or after he be more perfect in the rest of the Letters, and entered upon Syllables; teach him letter (s) J. Ch. L. J. i e. dzha, and cham. i.e. tsha. He will soon learn L. by being showed to make a stop with the end of his Tongue against his Goums, as in t on d. and let the Breath pass by the Cheeks or sides of the Tongue; and if you writ down tl, and put him to pronounce it, he will perceive it the easier; and he can hardly choose but make it Vocal, if he pronounce it with a Vowel either before or after. letter (s) R For R, show him the Gingival posture of the Tongue, and putting your Mouth close to his Hand or Cheek, while you pronounce it, make him sensible of the jar; which with often trial he will be brought to imitate, though for a while it will be troublesome to him, by reason of its roughness. When you have thus made him Master of all the Consonants, and taught him also to breath out H, letter (s) H and with patience, and often repetition (but with all sweetness and pleasantness, and great care that you do not tyre nor vex him) settled him perfect in the pronunciation of them, and in the knowledge of their Characters; than proceed to the Vowels. And first, carefully observe, what Vowels he chanced to join with the Consonants in naming them, which might be more than one, as a, letter (s) a. and e, at lest. Writ that Vowel after the same Consonant, and let him speak it, as he did before; after writ the Vowel alone, and show him the open Figure of the Vowel, and make him pronounce it, which he will readily do, having the sound of it already familiar to him, in naming the Consonants as aforesaid: and thus 'tis likely you will have a. and e. letter (s) e. to teach him, if not more, and bring him into some acquaintance with Vowels. Than show him the posture of i by bearing your Artificial Tongue near the , letter (s) i. and make him perceive, that the Breath is squeezed out at a narrow passage, and he will easily learn it; and when that is done, show him to add the Motion and Figure of the Lip to it, and that will teach him u. letter (s) u. o. For oh, show him, as well as you can, the figure of the Mouth, and make him round his Lips and sound in his Throat. And in like manner teach him ȣ letter (s) oo. by his Mouth and Lips bearing at the corners, representing it by oo. And when you come to Syllables, let him understand some words, wherein u has the like sound, but without the Lips, as But, Full, etc. letter (s) w. Lastly, teach him wa, ya, describing them both wa, letter (s y. ya,) and ooa, jam; and letter (s) α au (which is the natural α;) and than he will be sufficiently, for the present, instructed in Vowels. And now he being acquainted with some Character of every sound, you may at pleasure make him understand Anomalous pronunciations, by showing him such other known Letters, or Compositions of Letters, which have those sounds, as has already been done in che, tshe, i, dzhe, etc. Whereas the Vowels are much more difficult to be taught; you will found, in this method of falling upon them last, great help by the Apprehensiveness, he will have already gained in learning the Consonants, and more forwardness in attempting to pronounce; by which, when you require one Vowel of him, he will sometimes stumble upon another, which you are presently to lay hold of, and keep him to show him the Character of it, and it will be equal gain to you; and still the more he has learned the remainder will be so much easier, as there remain fewer differences of pronunciation for him to wander in. Now besides these directions already given, you will found when you come to practise, that your own earnestness and contention to effect what you are about, will continually, whilst you are at work with him, suggest to you several Artifices, whereby to make him better apprehended, what you would have him pronounce; which cannot so well be thought of before hand, nor Rules for it set down in writing. Now when the labour and patience of getting the Alphabet is over, the main difficulty is overcome. Having thus made him learn the Alphabet and the Characters of it, next (or together with the other) teach him an Alphabet upon his fingers, or leveral parts of his hand, by placing the Letters there, which you may device at pleasure: for example; making the joints of his fingers of his left hand, both on the inside, and also on the outside, to signify some Letter, when any of them is pointed at by the forefinger of the right hand, or by any kind of Fescue. Particularly, let the extremity of the Thumb and four fingers of the Left hand, signify a. e. i o. u The middle of the insides of them, beginning at the Thumb, b, c, d, f, g. The bending of the Fingers on the inside next the Hand, h, k, l, m, n. The backside joints below the Nails, p, q, r, s, t. The middle joints, v, w, i, y, z; any where towards the Wrist, or crossing the two fore-fingers, x. And for those simple Letters, which are used in writing to be expressed by Compositions, as th', sh, ug, etc. there is no help for it, but he must be taught accordingly, to comply with that faulty way of writing, which they call Orthography, and be directed to describe them so, and writ them so too, both that he may understand what others writ, and they, what he. You may draw two Portaitures, one of the inside, the other of the backside of the and describe the Letters upon the places respectively, this way, or some other, that you shall think better, and make him perfect in this Finger-language. And than you will found a great pleasure and ease, by practising with him that way, readily at all times to pronounce what words you describe with your fingers, and often exercise his Pen to writ down what you dictate to him; letting him know, when a word is finished, to leave some space between that and the next word. And when you would gratify the Curiosity of others, who shall desire to hear him speak, this way will be most useful and ready. And you may, when you please, have the recreation of surprising those with admiration, who shall hear the Deaf person pronounce whatsoever they (though with privacy) shall desire, without your seeming at all to guide him with your Eye or Mouth, otherwise than by beckoning to him to speak, whilst you secretly describe it with your fingers. The next thing you are to do, is to writ down (and it would do well, in a pocket-paper-book, to be ready at hand) all kinds of Syllables, and practise him to pronounce them. First syllables of two Letters, ba, be, by, bo, but, boo; kka, cse, csi, oko, cku; damn, de, di, do, du, do; ad, ed, id, etc. And than of more Letters, bla, bram, cla, kna, cra, dla, dna, fla, troth, gla, gna, gra, pla, pra, qua, sca, sha', ska, sla, sma, sna, spa, squa, sta, sua, tla, troth, etc. scra, sdna, sdra, spla, stra, etc. and all these backwards as, alb, arb, alk, ank, ark, ald, etc. And when you have made him perfect at Syllables, than you may reckon, that you have taught him all pronunciation of Language, since all words are only some of these Syllables, or else Syllables compounded of these, as strand, stra, and; or else being polysyllables, are but a joining of more of these Syllables, which is nothing else but pronouncing these Syllables one after another, making a distinction between every word. Next, you are to teach him the knowledge of Words, (but it would do well in the mean time, to make him speak and writ some Sentences, to inure him to Connexion of Speech.) And here you may easily show him Visible Bodies and Colours, and tell him the names of them, and you may by signs make him understand local Adverbs, and some others of Qualities, well, ill, etc. as also such Adjectives, as represent sensible qualities, as bitter, sweet, etc. and many other kinds. Every passage will give some occasion to make him understand more of the Particles and Bands of Speech. I had once in my thoughts to contrive a Method of Grammar, and Dictionary for this use. Of Grammar, more than I can now comprise in short hints. And the later, Alphabetically containing the words of the Language, which the Deaf person is to learn; as suppose, English. And the Exposition, being a representation of the Figure of so many words, as can be described, and of the rest by such other signs, as might be thought of, referring the Synonyma's to those, which have Expositions; by which he might help himself to know the meaning of such Words as he should meet with, and by often looking on it, gain the knowledge of Words: But the occasion of exciting and exercising my thoughts being unhappily removed, I went not further; but hope to see them perfected by those, who shall meet with such like occasions. And indeed, such a Work, as this, is not to be perfected by study alone; but must and will receive many hints and helps, and to be thought on otherwise, whilst the endeavour is excited, being under experiment and practice. But so far as I had occasion to study, and practise with happy success, I have faithfully imparted, and wish, it may be useful to those who stand in need of it. An Experiment concerning Deafness caused by want of due Tension of the Membrane in the Ear called the Tympanum; see p. 113. A Young Gentleman known to divers of the R. Society, was born Deaf, and continued Dumb till his age of 10. or 11 years. His Mother when she was great with him, received a sudden fright; by occasion whereof, the Child's head and face were a little distorted, the whole right side (as I remember) being somewhat elevated, and the left depressed; so that the passage of his left Ear was quite shut up, and that of the right Ear proportionally distended, and too open. This Gentleman being for some time recommended to my Care, amongst other things, I spent some thoughts in searching the cause of his Deafness in the Ear, whose passage was open. And having found, that the Auditory Nerve was not perished, but that he could hear the sound of a Lutestring, holding one end thereof in his Teeth; and had some perception of any very vehement sound, I supposed the defect to lie in the want of due Tension of the Tympanum of his Ear; whose use I took to be, only to preserve the Auditory Nerve, and Brain, and inward parts of the Ear from outward injury by Cold, Dust, etc. and to be no more to Hearing, than glass in the window is in a Room to Seeing, i e. as the one intromits Light without Cold or offence to those in the room: so the other permits sound to pass, and shuts out what else might offend the Organ; as appears in the experiment of breaking the Tympanum of a Dog, who hears never the worse for some few weeks, till other causes, as Cold, etc. vitiate the Organ. But for the free passage of the sound into the Ear, it is requisite, that the Tympanum be tense and hard stretched; otherwise the laxness of that Membrane will certainly dead and damp the sound, And because the Tympanum is fixed in the circumference thereof to the Annulus Osseus, and so is not capable of Tension that way, in such manner as a Drum is braced; there remains another way, by drawing it at the Centre into a Conoid form. And that is the principal Office of the three Ossicles, viz. the Malleus, Incus, and Stapes, of which the Stapes is fixed to the Inner-bone in the Foramen Ovale; the Malleus in the extremity of that Process thereof, which is more direct (though somewhat bowing) lies along fixed to the Tympanum; and on the other end is joined to the Incus by a double or Gingly moid joint; such as in which the upper and lower double Teeth meet one another. The Incus, situate between the two former, is one way joined to the Malleus, by such a joint as last mentioned: the other end, being a Process, is fixed with a ligament to the Stapes. In the Os Petrosum is situate a Muscle from which a Tendon is fixed to the end of another more perpendicula process of the Malleus, (some describe two Tendons from the same Muscle, one fastened to the aforesaid Process, the other to the neck of the Malleus) which drawing the Malleus inwards, the joined ends of that Bone, and the Incus receding, make a more acute Angle at that joint, and give a greater Curvity to the posture of the said three Ossicles; the ligament which fastens the Incus to the Stapes (which is fixed to an Bone) complying with the recess of the other end, side-ways at the joint; and the Malleus being fixed to an extensible Membrane, follows the Traction of the Muscle, and is drawn inwards to bring the Terms of that line (which the new posture of the bones makes) nearer, in proportion as it is Curved, and so gives a Tension to the Tympanum, by drawing after it the Centre of the Tympanum, and so stretching the surface of it, from a Plain to a Conoid Figure within the same Circumference. And I conceive, the action of this Muscle does ordinarily and constantly draw the Tympanum to a moderate Tension; but when we have occasion to listen, and give a more particular attention to some sound, the action of that Muscle is than more intense, and the Tympanum is drawn to a more than ordinary tension, so to facilitate the passage of the sound. Now as to the case of the young Gentleman before mentioned, I supposed either the Muscle by that convulsive starting Motion in the Womb to be overstrained, and to have lost its Action; or the Membrane by that greater aperture of the Organ to be overstretched, and afterwards to remain so flaccid, that it was beyond the activity of the Muscle and Curviture of the Ossicles to give it a due Tension; or peradventure there was a concurrence of both Causes. Which due Tension, if by any remedy it might be restored, I assumed that he might recover his hearing in that Ear: to which end I advised that excellent Lady his Mother, to consult with Learned Physicians, if by some adstringement Fumes, or otherwise he might found help. And for Experiment, I thought of a Temporary way, by the impulse of any vehement sound; as of a Drum beaten near him: which sound, during its continuance, must needs give the Tympanum a Tension, by driving and swelling it inwards, as a fresh gale of wind fills the sails of a ship; and the Experiment succeeded according to my expectation: for so long as I beaten a Drum fast and loud by him, he could hear those who stood behind him, calling him gently by his Name (which he understood, having learned to speak and pronounce it among other words;) and when the Drum ceased, he did not hear the same Persons, when they again very loud called him by his Name. And by this we tried several times, by beating of the Drum again, and ceasing it; and he still heard them, when the Drum beaten, and heard them not, when it stopped. Since that time, a Gentleman about Oxford-shire, sometimes Student in Christ-Church, being in a great degree of Deafness, after I had told him of this experiment, called to mind, that he never heard so well and easily, as when he was discoursing with company in a Coach, whilst it went fast, and made a great rumbling noise in London-streets: by which he was induced to believe, that the Impediment of his Hearing was of the like nature with the other. At the same time when this was read before the R. Society, a Person of Quality of the Society remembered to have found in himself, (being at sometimes subject to thickness of Hearing) the like effect with this last mentioned, though he had not before considered the reason of it; his acquaintance having often observed to him, that at such times of his Deafness, he heard them very well, whilst they talked together in a Coach in the paved Streets. FINIS.